


Conspiracy

by PositronicHeart



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Alien Invasion, Blood and Gore, Bugs & Insects, Canon Related, Gen, Panic Attacks, Parasites, Torture, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-12
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2020-06-26 21:25:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19776724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PositronicHeart/pseuds/PositronicHeart
Summary: Y'all remember that season 1 episode with the little parasites and the exploding head guy? Remember how it ended on a dismal cliffhanger? Well this is the continuation.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I watched this episode one night and thought to myself, yes I can do much with this. I feel like they kinda left us in the dust on that note anyway, so here's my take on the retaliation. But I upped the gore factor quite a bit because that's what I do. And it doesn't really matter where you place this in canon as long as it's after season 1. Although Wesley's not there (because there's no way I'm writing for that nerd) so probably after season 4.
> 
> WARNING: I wasn't kidding about the gore, it's literally about to start on a rather icky scene. Much like the actual episode, this story is pretty much all about the graphics. So lots of blood (and biofluid) splurting all over the place.
> 
> Disclaimer: the ghost of Gene R. owns 'em, not me. Only my own original characters and ideas are mine. Trust me, if I did own this show I wouldn't be here typing right now.

"Captain, I have attempted to trace the message Remmick was sending. I believe it was aimed at a unexplored sector of our galaxy." Data explained, the attention of everyone on the bridge fixed on him as he continued with a stern expression.

"Any idea what it was, Data?" Geordi leaned over in his position at the helm to face him. Data appeared uneasy for a moment, before finally opening his mouth to answer the question.

"I believe it was a homing beacon." He said. "Sent from Earth."

________

Choking on his own blood, he tried desperately to grab the phaser lying just out of reach. He could hear his bones crack as he stretched out his arm. But he certainly couldn't feel it, his entire body had gone numb from the pain. On the one hand, he knew that if he actually made it out of there alive, he would surely have sustained permanent injuries, if not be totally paralyzed. On the other hand, he was grateful that his nerves had shut down on him, so he couldn't feel the torturous pain of every bone and muscle in his body ripping themselves apart as he moved.

He almost reached the phaser, almost, when a boot came crashing down on the back of his hand, crushing whatever bones he had left. He looked up, to see the smiling face of his former captain staring down at him. The tears in his eyes streamed down, mixed with blood, and the next thing he knew everything was dark, and his final thoughts were of his wife and children, praying to God that these things, whatever they were, didn't get to them too.

________

"Captain, we just received a message from Strfleet, saying the U.S.S. _Spencer_ has gone missing." Worf said from his station. Picard leaned his head up to look at him.

"The _Spencer_?" He parroted, turning over to Riker. "Isn't that Captain Jacob's ship?" Riker nodded, both of them turning to face the view screen before them. "Mr. Data, what was the _Spencer's_ last posting?" Picard asked.

"The _Spencer's_ last assignment was in the Omega system, approximately two days away from our current position, sir." Data clarified, and Picard sighed through his nose, knowing it was inevitable they would have to search there. Even if it was futile. Many ships had gone missing in the days of Starfleet, and rarely ever were they found safe and sound right where they were left.

"Set a course for the Omega system, maximum warp." Picard announced. "Engage."

________

The Omega system was quiet and empty. Once again Picard knew they wouldn't find anything here. The only thing that accomponied them was a large uninhabited planet, otherwise it was stars and only stars as far as the eye could see.

"Captain, I am detecting a small escape pod caught in the upper atmosphere of the planet." Data announced. Picrad looked shocked, and probably guilty for not thinking there could be anyone out here.

"An escape pod? How many life signs?" He asked. Another quick tap on his console, and Data turned to answer.

"Three life signs Captain, all very faint." He said, and Picard sighed before hitting his comm badge.

"Picard to Dr. Crusher, I need you to meet me in shuttle bay four as soon as possible." He told her. She answered with an affirmitive, and Picrad turned back to Data. "Mr. Data, lock a tractor beam on that pod and bring it into the shuttle bay. Number One, Lt. Worf, you're with me." The three of them headed down for the shuttle bay, soon joined by Dr. Crusher, and saw the badly damage pod resting safely on the bay floor. When the hatch opened, Worf immediately prepared for a fight, but all that emerged from the pod were three bloodied and beaten officers crawling their way out onto the floor. Beverly immediately crouched down to them, running her tricorder all around their bodies, which were noticably in bad shape.

"Oh, thank God! Thank God! Human beings!!” One of them shouted, his bloodied face full of joy and relief. “We’re saved!” He clasped Beverly’s hand in his, still trembling a bit from fear.

“Yes, you are.” She smiled at him, reaching out for his face when he snatched her hand to keep it away from his skin.

“Wait! You’re not one of them are you?!” He paniced, grabbing the back of her neck and pulling her down to take a look. Riker grabbed him, pulling him away from her, and allowing her to pick herself back up. “You’re all clean?” The man said, eyeing them all heavily with suspicion lacing his features.

“What the devil?” Picard whispered to himself. “Who are you, and how did you end up in this escape pod?” He insisted, and the man squirmed his way out of Riker’s hold to stand up as straight as he could before the captain.

“I’m Commander John Burns, first officer of the U.S.S. _Spencer_.” He said, proud and brave but with still a hint panic in his tone. “This is Lieutenant Commander Usher,” He said, poitning to the redheaded woman sitting beside the shuttle. “and Lieutenant Venir.” He pointed to the Vulcan in the blue uniform, which was now stained with his own emerald blood. “It’s an honor to be in your presence, Captain.”

“Well that’s all well and good, but we need to get you three to Sickbay, now.” Beverly insisted, helping up the woman while Worf picked up the Vulcan.

________

“It was horrible, Captain.” Burns told him, sitting on his bio bed in Sickbay. “They just kept coming, every minute someone else would be taken over. Before we knew it, our entire ship had been abducted. We barely got the chance to escape with our lives.” As he explained, the woman at the other end of Sickbay screamed at the top of her lungs as Beverly tried to give her a hypospray.

“It’s all right, this will help ease your pain, I’m not going to hurt you.” She assured her, but the woman continued to yell and panic, running her hands all over her body as if there was something there she needed to remove.

“They’re all over me! Please, please get them off!! Get them off!!” She thrashed herself around, trying to rid herself of the imaginary parasites, and all Beverly could do was watch as she cried out for dear life. Two nurses finally rushed over, holding her down so Beverly could give her the hypospray and end her screaming. She fainted back on the bed, and suddenly Sickbay was quiet again.

“As you can see Captain, we had a hell of a time.” Burns said, lightly stretching his tired and stiff muscles.

“I can see that. But what exactly was it that attacked you?” Picard insisted.

“I don’t know exactly, but they were these, little parasite things, like Earth insects, only far more terrifying. And when they took over a person’s body, they would have these gills poking out from the back of their necks. Otherwise, you would never know they weren’t human.” When Burns finished his discription, Picard turned to look Riker dead in the eyes, a horrified look on his face.

“The creatures who tried to take over Starfleet headquarters.” Riker realized. “Data said they sent a homing beacon from Earth, it must have finally reached its destination.” Picard turned back to Burns, concern and fear filling his stomach.

“Do you know where your ship is now?”

“No, I’m sorry, Captain. They could be half way to Earth by now.” The tension in the room intensified, captain and first officer exchanging one concerned look after another.

“I’ll be on the bridge. Please let me know if you remember anything else that might be of use.” Picard said, rushing out of Sickbay immediately. As soon as he reached the bridge, he headed straight for his ready room, a solid twenty minutes of cold dead silence before his voice came over the intercomm. "All senior staff report to the observation lounge."

________

"So you see, clearly we have a bit of a problem." Picard explained the situation to his officers, all sitting in the observation lounge just off of the bridge.

"What do you suggest we do, Captain?" Riker asked. Picard stiffened, his own tension beginning to show itself.

"I don't know." He admitted. "We were hardly able to fight these things off the last time. And we don't even know how many there could be now. The entire Federation could be taken over and we would never know it." There was a gloomy silence in the room, until someone finally spoke up.

"Then we have to fight." Worf said, catching the attention of everyone sitting beside him.

"That's obvious, Lieutenant, but how can we fight when we don't even know who were fighting?" Picard sighed, slumping back in his chair. "We have to come up with some kind of strategy. If we ever hope to overcome these aliens, we need to know their weaknesses. This is like a plaque, running its way through Starfleet, we need to know how to cure it."

"I may be able to Captain, after what happened with Admiral Quinn, I have some knowledge of the creatures' biology." Beverly offered. "I believe I can remove the creatures safely from the patient if I get the chance. The problem is, I don't know how many of these things I'll have to remove."

"Plus, there's the fact that we're all susceptible." Riker sighed. "What do we do if one of us gets infected?"

"Commander, obviously I am the only one who is not susceptible to the creatures." Data said. "Perhaps we can use that to our advantage."

"Yes, I'm sure we will have to, Mr. Data." Picard assured him. "But let's just hope we can deal with this quickly and easily, before it turns into a full fledged war." Everyone was quiet, until Picard stood up and dismissed them all, leaving himself alone and staring out into space, enjoying the view while he had the chance.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is where crap really starts to happen so I hope you like it! Remember it can get icky. But either way, hope you're intrigued.

"I noticed you're a bit jumpy around everyone lately." Deanna said, walking alongside Beverly toward the turbolift.

"Oh, it's just that ever since the captain said how the whole Federation could be under control, and we would never even know, it's just made me extra cautious." Beverly told her, the two of them stepping into the lift together.

"I know how you feel, and not just because I'm an empath." Deanna grinned, as the lift hummed to life and began its journey up to Sickbay. "I don't know what we're going to do, we can't even discuss this with anyone, for obvious reasons. I just feel so, conflicted." She sighed.

"How so?" Beverly asked.

"Well now, like you said, everyone's going to be treated as a potential suspect. And it'll be immpossible to really know who truly is. I feel like I won't be able to trust anyone, even if I want to." Deanna ran her hand through her dark curly hair, letting out a slow breath of frustration. "Well, at least we have Data." She smiled slightly. "He's always a life saver."

"Yes, at least we have Data." Beverly agreed, twiddling her fingers in a nervous manner.

________

"You called me, sir?" Riker stepped through the ready room doors, taking a seat before the captain's desk.

"Yes, Number One. I need to know I can trust you." Picard sighed, shuffling through a pile of files in front of him.

"Well of course you can, sir. You know that." Riker leaned forward in his chair, the way he usually did when the situation demanded seriousness.

"I know, Number One. And I always have. But you have to understand, right now things are only going to get more and more complicated." Picard stood up from his seat, pacing around a bit. "Have you spoken more with Commander Burns?"

"Yes sir, he seems to be fairly lacking in useful information. He says that after everything went dark, anything could've happened. He said he was dragged to the escape pod by the other two, but Commander Usher is still in shock and can barely even speak, and Lieutenant Venir says he was already half unconscious when they left so he doesn't have any memory of the incident, either." Riker explained, and Picard once again let out a heavy breath at the unfortunate news.

"So I guess we'll just have to solve this one ourselves, hm?" He mused, sitting back down at his desk, hands clasped together in thought. "I knew this day was coming, we all knew it was, but now that it's here," He sighed.

"I know, Captain. But don't worry, because Starfleet is not about to taken down by a bunch of insects." Riker smiled, standing up to head back to the bridge. Picard's brow furrowed tightly, as he pondered just how Starfleet would exterminate these bugs.

________

"My name is Deanna Troi, I'm the ship's counselor." Deanna told Usher, who was lying in her bio bed, still fidgetting around alert for any danger. "Please, it's all right, no one here is going to hurt you." She assured her. "But please, I need you to talk to me. Your friends said that you were the only one who was fully awake during the incident, you must know something you can tell me." Usher sat up, abruptly, latching onto Deanna's dress as tight as she could.

"They're everywhere! They're everywhere! Don't you understand?! They're everywhere!!" She trashed around, ripping out clumps of her own hair in a wild panic. Beverly rushed over immedaitely with a hypospray in hand, hitting Usher with it until she slowly calmed and fainted back onto the bed.

"I don't think I can get to her, she's clearly traumatized." Deanna sighed.

"I know, but she's our only lead. We have to know what happened to that ship." Beverly placed the hypospray on a nearby table, insuring it would be there for later use. She tied back her long hair, then decided she wanted it down. "Oh, I just can't even think right now."

"I understand. We've been through so many things like this over the years, but this seems, almost unreal." Deanna clasped Usher's hand in hers, hoping to sooth her pain as she laid unconscious on the bio bed, red hair falling over her bruised face.

________

"Commander, I have uploaded all the available information on the _Spencer_ , from the crew roster to the internal design." Data said, calling Riker over to his place at the science station.

"That's great, Data. Hopefully this might help jog our friends' memories. Bring this down to Sickbay for Dr. Crusher." Riker said.

"But sir, should I not simply upload the information to her computer?"

"You could, but I feel like our friends might benifit from seeing the face of another friendly human being." Riker mused, and Data looked up quickly to see his face.

"But sir, I am not--"

"Just take the compliment, Data." Riker smirked, heading back for his seat in the middle of the bridge. Data cocked his head, his brows lifting in an almost delicate expression, and he left for the turbolift.

"Number One, please come to my ready room." Picard's voice came over Riker's comm badge, and he stood up to head for the captain.

"You sent for me, Captain?" He entered, seeing Picard standing by the window, staring out into the endless vast wasteland of space. He turned, looking his first officer in the eyes.

"I just got a report that the U.S.S. _Spencer_ has been found. Completely destroyed." He said, and Riker's eyes widened in shock, a swift silence playing over the room for just a moment. "They're not sure how it happened, it could have been anything from a self-destruct, to some kind of accident. Either way, I suppose this is somewhat good news." Picard went over to the replicator, preparing to order a cup of tea, before deciding against it, and walking back towards Riker. "Although I just can't get the sight of all those poor souls out of my mind." He sighed deeply. "I keep thinking we might have had a chance to save them. At least some of them."

"Well Captain, I can certainly tell you that I'm as surprised as you are." Riker's eyes didn't seem to have rested by much, he still appeared a little taken aback. "And they really don't know how it happened?"

"No, unfortunately not. Although my guess is, perhaps Commander Burns was able to set off the self-destruct sequence after all. Perhaps someone was able to do some damage before they escaped. Sabotage their former ship." Picard's voice was heavy as he considered the options, still plaqued with the thought of so many people killed because of some parasites.

"I guess so." Riker sighed, stiffening a little. "It is a tragedy, sir. But it looks like we'll just have to find other measures now." Picard stared at the carpet for a moment, lost in thought, when he caught Riker's words and analyzed them.

"What does that mean, Number One?" He wondered, but before he could say anymore, Riker's fist came slamming into the captain's face, knocking him out cold.

"You dumb old man! It means we'll have to take over this ship instead!"

________

"Please, if you can hear me, tell me what you know when you wake up." Deanna whispered to Usher, who was still lying on her bed, out for the count. She sighed, turning to see Beverly, and noticed just how emtpy the room was. "Where are all your other nurses?" She wondered. Beverly looked around, perplexed.

"That's odd," She said. "Someone should be on duty." The two of them looked around a bit more, but didn't find anyone in sight. Only their last patient. The other two had been set free and given quarters, they were under constant care, but they were strong enough to leave Sickbay.

"Beverly, I'm worried." Deanna admitted. "What if--" Before she could even finish, she felt a pair of hands wrap around her neck, tightening every time she tried to move, and when she turned around to look at their face, she saw Beverly, eyes tightened in an evil expression, draining the life from her victim one second at a time. Deanna managed to kick her away, slamming into her shin with her heel, and making a dash for the door. Beverly caught up to her, pulling her by her hair, and dragging her back into Sickbay with a claw like grip. Deanna struggled, pulling forwards until she felt some of her roots rip out of her scalp, running as fast as she could for the nearest turbolift. Beverly dropped the clump of hair in her hands, following after Deanna.

________

When Sickbay was deserted, Data finally arrived to deliver his files, seeing that no one was even present. No one except for the helpless woman lying asleep in her bio bed at the end of the room. Data looked around a bit, before giving up and heading back for the door.

"Wait!!" Usher's voice came to him, and he turned back to see her, sitting up in her bed and reaching out for him. "Please, help me!!" Data walked over to her, seeing the tear stricken eyes and bruised cheeks, unsure of how he could possibly help her after what she had been through.

"I am here, what do you need?" He asked.

"I need your body!" She hissed, grabbing hold of his shoulders, and bringing him closer to her face. "This one's worn out!" She opened her mouth, and a small parasite came crawling out, leaping its way into Data's. He choked, falling to his knees while the body on the bed fell over limp. He wasn't suffocating, he didn't even need to breathe, but the creature inside his body was crawling its way through his systems, messing with delicate wires that shouldn't be touched. His head jerked around violently, and he fell over on his back, limbs spasming as if in a seizure. He arched his back, lifting himself over a foot off the ground, long arms straining to hold him up. His head leaned back as far as it could, his whole body convulsing from the inside. A stream of golden biofluid came running from his mouth, his eyes shut tight from the strain. The parasite dug its way deeper and deeper into his systems, trying to find someplace to implant itself. It was no use, because there were no biological organs to attach itself to, no nervous system to connect with, but it refused to give up its search, nearly causing Data to implode on himself entirely. He finally jolted his head forward, wretching up all the biofluid building up in his throat, along with the creature invading his body. It squirmed away, covered in a sickly yellow liquid, leaving Data on the floor and running as many internal diagnostics as he could, before he saw the thing crawl its way back toward him, ready for a second round, and he tried to squish it under his boot, but it was a little too quick, even for an android with incredible speed. It crawled its way up his leg, journeying back up to his mouth, when he snatched it in his hands, squeezing it hard until its blood started dripping out from his palm.

________

Picard came to, sitting in his ready room, staring up into the face of his former first officer.

"What the devil have you done? What are you?!" He demanded, sweat dripping down his forehead, and panic threatening to overwhelm him.

"That is none of your concern, Captain." Riker insisted, peaking out the door to the bridge every once and a while, as if waiting for someone to arrive.

"How did you infect my officer?" Picard spoke.

"Simple. You fell for the innocent victim act." Riker grinned at him. "When you let Burns and his people on board, you let us on board. They were carrying a stash of parasites ready to take host bodies. You made the mistake of leaving them alone with your first officer and medical officer, and now we have the upper hand." He explained, seeing the way Picard's eyes widened at the mention Dr. Crusher.

"You've infected Beverly, too?" He paniced internally, holding himself together for his captor. Riker smiled, an evil sinister smile that Picard wasn't used to seeing on him.

"That's right, along with your entire medical staff. And now, because the _Spencer_ was destroyed, it looks like we'll just have to take over this ship, instead. No one will suspect that the flag ship of the Federation has been commandeered." Picard struggled in his chair, trying to force the ropes to unbind, but failing. "Give up, Picard. Your medical staff should already be heading around the ship taking in more, volunteers." Riker peaked out onto the bridge another time, and Picard noticed.

"Who are you waiting for?"

"Why, your precious Dr. Beverly, of course. I sent your android down to Sickbay to be, taken care of." He explained, and something in Picard's mind clicked. Data. Of course. He would be able to resist these things and rescue the ship before anything could happen. But if he were attacked, if Beverly shut him off to keep him out of the way... "What is taking her so long?!" Riker shouted, and Picard came back from his thoughts. "She was supposed to be here!"

"Maybe _my android_ was too much for her." Picard huffed, and Riker sighed in frustration. He slapped a hand across the captain's face, sending the blood from his nose to fly off his face.

"Maybe you should keep quiet until we end this." He hissed at him, turning back to watch the door to the bridge.

________

Deanna ran her way through the ship, trying desperately to escape the woman behind her. She wasn't her friend anymore, she wasn't Beverly Crusher, she was just a crazed woman, chasing after her.

"Hey! Please, you have to help me!" She screamed, spotting an officer wandering down the corridor. He turned to see her, reaching a hand out for her to take, when suddenly a shard of metal came pushing through his stomach, blood splurting onto Deanna's face and clothes, as the man fell to the ground to reveal Venir standing behind him. Deanna panicked, running in the other direction as fast as she could, unsure of whether she could trust anyone.

She ran and ran, making her way to engineering, where she found Geordi being pinned against a wall, by a fellow officer no less, and several more officers lying bloody on the floor, scattered throughout the room. She screamed for the man to let Geordi go, and he did, turning to face her. He came her way, hands outstretched to grab her, when Worf came from behind him and bashed his head in with his fists, more blood splattering onto her dress. Although the last thing she had to worry about was her laundry.

"Oh God, Worf!" She cried, burying her face into his chest for protection. He hesitated, but held her close nonetheless. Geordi got up from the floor, looking around at all the bodies scattered through engineering.

"Oh, my God!" He exlaimed. "What have they done?" Deanna took his hand in hers, trying to calm him as best she could.

"I know, Geordi, I know." She breathed a shuddery breath. "We just have to find our way out of this. We have to see if there's anyone left who's sill themselves." The three of them looked around another minute, when Beverly came running into the room, a demonic look on her face, hungry for another victim. She clawed her way to Deanna, scratching her face and pulling out more of her hair, before Worf grabbed her by her red locks and threw her across the room, landing near the warp core.

"We need to get out of here, now!" He demanded, all of them running out of engineering before Beverly could wake up.

"Sorry I'm lat--Ahhhh!!" One of the engineering officers cried, upon seeing the room full of bodies and blood covered walls. His eyes were wide and his jaw dropped, slowly making his way through the sea of blood. He spotted Beverly lying at the other end of the room, and rushed towards her to help her up. "D--Dr. Crusher, are you okay?" He studdered, helping her stand up on her feet again.

"Oh, don't worry about me, Ensign. I'm fine." She smiled, grabbing his head to draw him for the transfer, when he pulled out his phaser, not firing, but jabbing it into her gut, causing her hold on him to falter.

"Don't you touch me, o-or I'll use this!" He warned her, but all she could offer him was a smile, before she yanked the phaser from his hands, shoving her other hand down his throat until she felt his organs, violently pulling out his lung and throwing it across the room. He fell to the ground, eyes wide with fear and lifelessness, choking blood onto the floor as his final act. Beverly sighed with disappointment, rushing her way out of engineering, knowing where she needed to go next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll try to get more done soon! The next chapter will probably be worse, but I'm sure things will all turn out. (Hopefully.)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well the mayhem continues. Hope you enjoy! *this chapter has cussing :)*

Burns rushed into Sickbay, spotting Data sitting on the floor, leaning against the bio bed behind him, which carried the body of the former Commander Usher. He looked weak, golden fluid still dripping from his lips, his eyes hooded and chest heaving. Burns walked to him, eyeing the parasite blood on his hands, and the yellowish fluid splattered on the ground. He cruched down to face him, gripping his chin in his hand, and looking into his golden citrine eyes. He examined his face for a moment, turning his head from side to side and getting little resistance.

"Are you even human?" He wondered, pulling up his sleeve and opening Data's mouth enough to shove his arm down his throat. He stuck it in as far as he could, searching around for Data's organs, or the ones he thought he had. Data couldn't resist, he was too weak and his systems were too worn out, so he sat and choked on the man's arm traveling down his throat.

" _Fuck_!" Burns exlaimed, pulling his arm back out from Data's mouth. "You're not going to work!" He stood up from the floor, looking around the room for Dr. Crusher. "Doctor!" He called, but there was no answer. He cursed in anger, choking up his own blood into his palm. The body he was in was falling apart from the inside, and he clearly needed a new one. But he couldn't use the mechanical one lying on the floor, and the one resting on the bed wasn't in any better shape than his current one was. He ran out from Sickbay, leaving Data gagging on his own biofluid.

________

Deanna, Geordi and Worf made their way to Ten-Forward, which was notibly empty, unusual for such a popular place. They hid behind the counter, Worf digging his way through the drinks under the bar.

"Worf! This is no time to be getting a drink!" Geordi insisted.

"I'm not! Guinan keeps a phaser rifle down here somewhere," He scowered through the shelves, until he found the rifle, buried behind some bottles of whiskey. "This should be effective against them!"

"Worf, do we really have to go to such extremes?" Deanna cried. "These people were once our friends!"

"I am sorry Counselor, but you must realize we have little choice!" Worf barked, just before the doors slid open to reveal a group of blue uniformed officers enter the room. Worf jumped up from behind the bar, aiming his weapon straight at the visitors.

"Wait! They might be clean!" Deanna demanded, standing up to see their panicked faces. Geordi eyed them for a moment, noticing the color of their uniforms.

"Counselor, didn't you say Dr. Crusher's medical staff were all missing?" He pointed out, and Deanna turned back to look at them, the expressions on their faces changing from shocked to angry as they pulled out their phasers. "Get down!" And they did, just barely missing several phaser shots aimed directly at their heads. Worf jolted back up to fire a shot at one of them, blasting his head into a mess of splattering brains. Deanna screamed under the table, hearing the cringing sound of blood and guts being splashed all over the walls. Worf ducked to avoid being hit, and rised again to fire another shot at the other officers. This went on for a while before all the officers had been killed, and Worf knew there would be more on the way.

"Come on, we need to keep moving!" He instructed, grabbing Deanna's hand and lifting her up to lead her and Geordi out the doors on the other side of the room.

________

"You will never get away with this." Picard said, his face a little bruised from the attack, and still tied to that damned chair, but holding himself steady. Riker could care less at this point what he had to say, still keeping his eye on the bridge to see if anyone showed up. "We will stop you."

"With what army?" Riker hissed at him.

"You are no match for the Federation." Riker simply rolled his eyes, turning back to watch the bridge, when he saw someone finally arrive.

"Finally!" He shouted, and Picard tried to catch a glimpse of the person he was speaking to, but they were now standing just outside the door, and he couldn't lean over enough in his chair to see their face. "What the hell took you so long?"

"I had a little mishap." The person told him, and Picard instantly recognized the voice as being Dr. Crusher's. Beverly's. He almost forgot she had been abducted too.

"Well I sent the android down to Sickbay for you to get him out of way, so he's dealt with now, right?" Riker asked.

"What? He never came to Sickbay! I had to chase after that little bitch with the big hair when she got suspiscious." Beverly hissed.

"You idiot, you know he's dangerous! With him still around, all our plans could fall apart!"

"That won't be happening." Burns came from behind them. Riker and Beverly turned to see him step onto the bridge, his clothes still bloody and his face looking more and more tired every minute. "The android's lying in Sickbay, and he can't even move. The parasite inside Commander Usher tried to take over his body. She didn't know he wasn't human." He explained.

"What?! This is why you should have been there! You were supposed to deal with him immediately!" Riker shouted, and Beverly rolled her eyes in frustration, growing a little tired of standing.

"We all need to change bodies soon, these are all beaten up!" She demanded, pointing to the blood dripping down her forehead from her fall.

"My body's fine, but you two do need to get changed." Riker said. "There must be hundreds of perfectly good folks around here you can use!" As they talked, Picard listened, trying to catch as many details as he could. It seemed that even they couldn't deal with too many injuries, and their constant need to switch bodies may be a weak point to the _Enterprise's_ advantage.

________

As soon as they reached Sickbay, Worf, Deanna and Geordi rushed over to see Data sitting just barely conscious by one of the bio beds.

"Data!" Geordi exlaimed, cruching down to check him. He examined his face, his body, seeing no problem on the exterior, so there must have been something wrong with the interior. "Something must be wrong with his systems. Data, can you hear me?" He lightly patted his cheek, seeing if he would respond. Data slightly opened his eyes a little wider, looking into Geordi's VISOR.

"Geordi--" He tried to speak, but all that came out was a horribly mechanical sound straining against his sore throat.

"Can you walk?" Geordi asked, taking his arm in his before he could answer, signaling for Worf to take the other. Together, they lifted him up on his feet, and Geordi took his full weight when he grabbed both his shoulders and tried to keep him upright. "Come on, you can do it, we gotta get out of here." The four of them searched around to make sure no more officers were nearby, and left for the nearest turbolift.

"We need to get to the bridge." Worf announced, staying on gaurd until they reached the lift doors, rifle still in hand. "And remember, we cannot trust anyone in blue." Geordi helped Data into the lift, and Deanna followed, but before Worf could enter, a figure appeared at the end of the corridor, aiming a phaser at him. He ducked just in time, turning back to fire a quick shot at his attacker. She moved quickly out of the way, and fired her own shot back at Worf, who just barely managed to lean out of the way, ripping off his burned shash and preparing another hit. "Go! I will deal with Dr. Selar!" He shouted over the phaser fire, throwing his weapon into Deanna's arms before the turbolift doors closed shut, and the lift started to move upward to the bridge.

________

As soon as the turbolift reached the bridge, they stayed in the lift for a moment before the doors opened, deciding what their next move would be if they were ambushed. Deanna looked decidedly uncomfortable holding the phaser rifle in her arms, and Geordi was still helping keep Data upright.

"I'd trade luggage with you, but he's heavier than he looks." Geordi said, calming Deanna's nerves a bit.

"That's all right, I'm just not used to holding one of these. I'm not even sure how to fire it." She sighed, looking around for a switch, or a button. Geordi cringed, hoping she wasn't about to accidently trigger anything.

"Data, do you think you can stand on your own?" He wondered, slowly releasing his grip on Data's shoulders but still keeping his hands ready to grab him again. Data struggled, but kept himself upright. Geordi reached over and took the rifle from Deanna's hand before she could fire it.

"All right, I'll go out and see if anyone's there, you two stay here, got it?" He told them, and Deanna nodded, while Data attempted to. Geordi stiffened, preparing for whatever was about to come at him, walking out onto the bridge and seeing the three officers standing by the ready room doors. He raised his weapon, aiming a direct shot at their position, threatening to fire if they moved even an inch. "Stay there! This thing will hurt a lot more than you think!" He demanded, and they did as he told, Deanna helping Data walk out onto the bridge with him.

"Commander!" Picard called from the ready room, catching everyone's attention.

"Captain?" Geordi called back, making his way down over toward the ready room, and peaking inside to see his captain tied to a chair in front of his desk. "Untie him!" He ordered, and Riker did so, reluctantly, pulling apart the ropes that held Picard in place. He stood up, stretching his arms a bit, and walked out onto the bridge with the others.

"Where is Lt. Worf?" He wondered, noticing his absence. He hoped deeply that he hadn't become a casualty.

"He stayed behind so we could come up here to the bridge." Deanna explained. "He was fighting Dr. Selar, but he might still be okay." Picard noticed Data's rather sickly looking appearance, he wasn't any paler than usual, or anything like that, but he did look weak, and was clearly having trouble standing up straight.

"Is he all right?" He asked.

"He must have been attacked by one of the creatures, but if I can get to engineering, or even just some of my tools, I should be able to help him." Geordi explained. "But right now, it looks like they've got us surrounded." He looked over at Beverly, then at Riker, who were standing uncomfortably silent beside them.

"That's right, Captain." Riker spoke up. "We do have you surrounded, so it would be best if you just gave up now, and saved us all a lot of trouble." Picard scowled at him, still not used to that sinister tone of voice he kept facing him with.

"We will do no such damned thing!" He insisted, watching as the tension in the room increased.

"Well you won't have a choice!" Beverly shouted, clawing at Geordi, who dropped the rifle to the ground when she scratched her nails across his face. Riker grabbed it before it hit the floor, lifting it up to aim, when Data gripped his arm, not with his usual amount of strength, but whatever he had regained from his systems slowly repairing themselves. He had hoped it would be enough to cause Riker to drop the weapon, but he was wrong, as Riker bashed it into his face, knocking him backward a few steps and into the wall, and tearing off a piece of his bioplast, leaving his right cheek open to expose the metal plating underneath. Deanna tried to grab Riker's arms, but he shoved her away, aiming the rifle at her before Picard pounded him on the head, pushing him into the wall beside Data. Riker retalitated, jabbing the pointy end of the weapon into Picard's leg, blood running from his shin as he leaned against the wall for support. Burns went to jump him, but Deanna tripped him with her shoes, causing him to fall and bang his head against the floor. Beverly had pinned Geordi to the ground, his face scratched up by her nails, and she went for Deanna, who ducked her first attack but couldn't avoid her second, being grabbed by her hair and scratching her on the cheek. Picard used his good leg to kick the rifle out of Riker's hands, and slide over to Data, who picked it up and aimed it straight at his face, an evil scowl playing at Riker's features. Geordi managed to pick himself up and push Beverly away from Deanna, who quickly fell to the floor, eyes watering and blood dripping down her temples and chin.

"Change it to the stun setting!" Picard told Data, who did so, clicking a switch at the end of the rifle, and aiming it back at Riker, firing into his chest and knocking him out cold. Data turned his attention to Beverly, shooting her hard before she could stand up again. Tired, he dropped the weapon on the ground, his systems taking a minute to rebuild strength. Suddenly everything was quiet, and Picard sighed with relief as he limped his hurt leg over to help everyone up.

"Worf to bridge." Worf's voice came over the intercom.

"This is Captain Picard, what's your status?" Picard answered, hoping it was really him and not another imposter.

"Captain, what was the name of the first ship you ever commanded?" Worf asked, and Picard knew it was for a good reason.

"The U.S.S. _Stargazer_." He answered.

"Good. I believe I've taken care of the whole medical team. Although there may be some more officers I've overlooked. But the situation is relatively under control." Worf explained, sending somewhat of a smile to Picard's face. But then he straightened again.

"Mr. Worf, what is the name of your son?" He asked, seriously.

"My son's name is Alexander, and his mother's name was K'Ehleyr." He answered, and the weight on Picard's chest lifted completely off.

"Thank you Mr. Worf." Picard smiled again, turning to see everyone standing behind him. "Well, I guess that's over then." He sighed, the pain from his leg faltering a bit.

"Not quite." He heard a voice say, and when he turned to see who it was, he saw that it was Geordi, holding the rifle to them, a sinister smile on his face, much like the one Riker had when he was abducted.

"Geordi?!" Deanna exlaimed, her, Data and Picard standing stiffly in shock from the sight. "The whole time--?" She could barely bring herself to speak, she had thought it was over, she had allowed herself to breathe again, but now she could feel her breath catch and disappear again until she could barely move a muscle.

"You people need to stop being so damned gullible!" He said, maintaining a firm grip on the weapon as he taunted them all with it.

"Merde..." Picard swore under his breath.


End file.
